Kathay
Rennels and Denny LaRue shared a handout on the Bleiker Life Preserver, a
process which facilitates communication in public meetings. It is designed to
provide systematic development of informed consent. Kathay recommends it be
used at the July public meeting.

Comments from the Audience
: At the end of
the meeting, Stephen Johnson again encouraged PAC to prepare for difficult
questions at the public meeting. The Clarks described the road/property
dispute they are currently involved in with a neighbor. Although the PAC has
no authority to act in such a situation, this dispute illustrates the need for
a designation of public roads.

DISCUSSION ITEMS
:

The Road Subcommittee:

Bill Gilbert presented a Press Release about the July Public
Meeting. Michael S. made a motion that the Press Release be adopted as written
for release to the appropriate media. Gene Allan seconded. The subsequent
discussion included the following questions and concerns:

·
the release should name the roads under consideration

·
not naming the roads could bring out more people to the meeting;
naming the roads could cause confusion and resistance since there is not enough
room in the Press Release to explain why those roads were chosen

·
what is the process of how news media handle a press release?
There is no guarantee that the release will be used as written. It is
important to state the essentials – what, when, where, who, why – succinctly at
the beginning.

·
the concept of “traveled way” is important because it is the
term used in the state statutes.

·
the roads under consideration for the designation of Public are
Main, Firehouse, Hiawatha, Nokomis, Leticia, Monoma, Eagle Tree Cr., and
Ramona. Many of these roads will require a slightly different process to be
designated Public.

·
several views were expressed on listing the county staff with
which the PAC as worked: keeping the wording concise vs. pointing out the
time, effort, research, and thought which has gone into the process.

Jill Bennett suggested the Road Subcommittee work with Denny
LaRue (who has had considerable experience writing Press Releases) to rewrite
the release. Michael S. and Gene A. withdrew the motion and second.

Susan Bradley made a motion that the Road Subcommittee, with the
assistance of Denny LaRue, and taking the PAC’s discussion into consideration,
rewrite the release and release it without further approval of the PAC. The
motion passed unanimously. The Road Subcommittee will meet with Denny LaRue
and Kathay Rennels on Monday, June 15th at 9:15 a.m.

Kathay Rennels stressed that the importance of a Press Release
is to get people to the meeting. It will be the PAC’s priority to explain the
situation to the people when they are there.

Questions and Answers:

A handout had been prepared of the questions the PAC had
brainstormed and the answers provided by the County Attorney and the Sheriff’s
Department. The Committee discussed each one, making sure they understood and
agreed upon the meaning of the answer.

By consensus the Committee agreed to eliminate questions 11 and 12,
amend question 5 appropriately, and place the document on the county website
and use it as a handout for the July public meeting.

The question was raised of how the PAC will measure community
response. The Road Subcommittee has considered various ways to poll people at
the end of the public meeting. Ted C. pointed out that it is the PAC’s job to
listen and decide the opinion of the community. He also pointed out that after
the public meeting the members of PAC may have differing views of the community
opinion.